Young Writers Society

I've been doing research for this topic for a while now with little luck. It seems anything I do find is humorous, but there is hardly any serious discussion about surviving on a desert island. Desert Island is a loose term, though. It isn't an island that looks like the Saharah Desert, it refers to the tropical climate and the fact that humans do not inhabit it. So I was wondering if I could get some help from members here. If you and a group of peers were stranded on a desert island, let's say in total it was around 12-18 people, what would be the laws or rules of the island? What important jobs would need to be assigned? Would unity be stressed or would the group split into smaller factions that live on different parts of the island? What would you eat? Just general stuff involved with this topic. So if you want, just post your thoughts on the questions.

well...i think that it would be best to stay in one big group, but if everyone was splitting up and i couldn't stop it i would try to stay with the biggest group.

What important jobs would need to be assigned?

well of course some people would have to find food, others fresh water, you would need to find a good place to put the camp (or main camp.) you would do well to make a fire. (1. so search planes could find you and 2. to scare off wild animals.) the proper way to make a signal fire(s) is to build three fires in a triangle, each fire about thirty feet apart from the next. And, if you can't make fire you can make a V out of rocks or plants and if you need medical attention make an X. because at least a few people must have gotten hurt getting to the island.
i hope this helps. i know its been a while since you posted the question.

Well, I'd ellect some sort of leader. everyone has a vote and a say in whatever rules are made. Everyone would have to put in an equal share of the work.

Um...for the jobs, someone would have to find clean water, another food, some would have to make fire, some build some kind of shelter. if they had any supplies with them, it would have to be rationed and divided equally.

For food, it would be anything that you can eat or kill to eat. it helps if you have weapons of some sort. if not, then I would say fruit, edible leaves, ect. fish is always a good source of food as well.

I hope this helped!

Jamie

Honestly, I doubt it would be organized.

Think about it: people wouldn't agree. They'd be angry about the circumstances, upset about lost ones. They'd be hysteric. Lot's of people would try to take charge. Some would be lazy, others would get angry at them.

Think of how we act on a daily basis. Do you really think we'd change that much, just because we're on some island?

We all want to believe that we'd do wonderfully in bad situations, but we (usually) won't. We'd get scared, and just act. No thinking. In this situation, that would be awful.

So have your characters struggle. They don't only need to live in the desert island, they need to live with each other.

Who decides if the weak get taken along? Won't they slow them down?

Who decides who's in charge? What if no one wants to take responsibility? What if a lot do?

Just think of how people act in high-pressure situations. This is why we have governments, police, and all that stuff. To take care of things for us. When we don't have that stuff, chaos ensues.

But that's just my take.

[/rambling]

~JFW1415